Electric gas-lighter.



J Y. PARKE.

ELECTRIC GAS LIGHTER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 6, 1912.

1,049,522. Patented Jan.7, 1913.

Inventor:

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN Y. PARKE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRIC GAS-LIGHTER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN Y. PARKE, a citizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Gas- Lighters, of which the following is a speci fication, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof.

This invention relates to electric gas lighters of that type in which two relatively movable electrodes are caused to separate to produce a spark at a point within the flame zone of a gas jet. Two important objections to such lighters have hitherto been the comparatively ineffective insulation of the electrode which is connected directly to the source of current, and the waste of electrical energy .and incidentally the wear on the electrodes due to their contact when the movable electrode returns to its normal position, after the gas has been lighted. It has been proposed to obviate this last named objection by providing means to guide this movabl electrode out of the path of the relatively immovable electrode as the former returns to its normal position. Such means, however, are rather delicate and render such lighters unnecessarily expensive.

It is the object of this invention to provide an electric gas lighter, both sparking electrodes of which are disconnected from the battery circuit before and after their period of contact and break to eliminate the danger of their becoming short circuited and to prevent a second spark when the relatively movable electrode is moving to its normal position after the gas has been lighted.

Reference is now to be had to the accompanying drawing in which is illustrated a practical embodiment of the present invention and in which drawing Figure 1 is a view in elevation of a gas burner to which is attached a lighter embodying the present invention. Fig. 2 is a View in elevation taken on a plane at right angles to Fig. 1.

In the embodiment herein illustrated the gas lighting fixture may be readily attached to any gas burner of usual construction and comprises a frame member at having a split collar a attached to the base thereof adapted to embrace the gas pipe Z) to which the lighter is to be affixed. Through the two Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 6, 1912.

Patented Jan. *7, 1913.

Serial No. 688,935.

parts of the collar is adapted to be screwed a suitable fastening means therefor, herein illustrated as a screw 64 The upper portion a of the frame member a is preferably bent at right angles thereto to form a sup port for the relatively immovable electrode of the lighting device.

Mounted on the portion a of the frame or support a and suitably insulated therefrom is a rigid conductor 0 having a portion 0 extending upwardly and in juxtaposition to the gas tip a and having at its lower end a binding post 0 by which the conductor a may be connected to the electrical supply source. A spring terminal (Z is also mounted on the frame member a and although normally insulated from the electrode c at its base, is adapted to be moved into contact therewith by means of an OS- cillating member 6 pivotally mounted on the frame member a, as indicated by dotted line in Fig. 1. This oscillating member 6 may have two lever arms at the end of one of which is a curved finger e to engage the upper end of the spring member (Z when the lever is moved. The fixed terminal 0 and the spring terminal d as well as the insulation therefor may be securely clamped to the portion a of the frame member a by means of a rigid retaining member f.

As is shown most clearly in Fig. 1 the oscillating member 6 is held in operative position with respect to the spring terminal d by means of a suitable spring g, one end of which engages the member 6 and the other end of which may engage the frame a. It will be understood that after manual operation of the lever member 6 it will be returned to its normal position by reason of the spring member 9.

From the above description it will be seen that upon the movement of the lever e the finger e engages the upper end of the spring terminal d moving the body of the terminal into contact with the stationary terminal 0, thereby completing the circuit through the battery, lever member 6 and the ground. Continued movement of the finger e on the operating arm ,of the member 6 brings the upper part of the spring terminal cl directly within the flame zone, at which point the two terminals quickly separate, thereby producing a spark and igniting the gas which has previously been permitted to flow. Immediately upon such release the spring terminal d returns to its normal position, that is, out of contact with the terminal 0. Hence it will be seen that on the return movement of the lever e to its normal position, it will make cont-act again with the spring conductor (Z, when the latter is out of the battery circuit thus preventing a second spark.

That I claim is:

1. An electric gas lighter comprising a support, a conductor mounted immovably in juxtaposition to the gas tip, a spring terminal mounted in proximity to the immovable conductor but insulated therefrom, the tip of said terminal being normally disposed without the flame zone under the tension of said spring terminal but movable into the flame zone and a movable conductor adapted to engage the spring terminal and to move the same under tension into contact with the fixed conductor and to disengage the same in the flame zone.

2. An electric gas lighter comprising a support, a conductor mounted immovably in juxtaposition to the gas tip, a spring terminal mounted in proximity to the immovable conductor but insulated therefrom, the tip of said terminal being normally disposed without the flame zone under the tension of said spring terminal but movable into the flame zone and an oscillating conductor arm adapted to engage the spring terminal in its forward movement and to move the same under tension into contact with the fixed conductor and to disengage the same in the flame zone.

3. An electric gas lighter comprising a support, a conductor mounted immovably in juxtaposition to the gas tip, a spring terminal mounted in proximity to the immovable conductor but insulated therefrom, the tip of said terminal being normally disposed without the flame zone under the tension of said spring terminal but movable into the flame zone and an oscillating conductor arm having a curved finger adapted to engage the spring terminal in its forward movement and to move the same under tension into contact with the fixed conductor and to disengage the same in the flame zone.

a. An electric gas lighter comprising a supporting frame having a clamp to engage a burner tip, a conductor mounted immovably on said frame, a spring terminal mounted in proximity to the conductor but insulated therefrom, the tip of said terminal being normally disposed without the flame zone under the tension of said spring terminal but movable int-o the flame zone and a movable conductor adapted to engage the spring terminal and to move the same under tension into contact with the fixed conductor and to disengage the same in the flame zone.

This specification signed and witnessed this lth day of April A. D. 1912.

JOHN Y. PARKE.

Signed in the presence of EMERSON CONRAD, LOUISE G. SMITH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

